Veneration
by aurora-sakura
Summary: ZUTARA. A series of oneshots starting after the Boiling Rock episodes. Rated T for now.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This takes place after The Boiling Rock episodes. ZUTARA story... series of oneshots. Sukka and maybe some Taang later on depending on how I feel by that point XD

I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or it's characters.

Come join Fate's Embrace! Check out the link in my profile!

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Katara hadn't really left her dad's side since he stepped off the balloon with the others. She still couldn't believe he was there with them... perfectly fine though looking a bit weathered. It seemed he'd lost a small amount of weight, and the hollow that had taken shape in his cheeks worried her whenever she passed him glances. She'd given him an extra big portion of their dinner that night, gathered around the fire. Zuko had joined them, but we being quiet as Sokka related to them the events that had led them all to be standing there.

She'd been annoyed at first with the whole thing -- even thought they'd brought their dad back. Sokka had just left without a single word to them, saying they were going looking for food? And then it turned out they were on a secret mission that could have gotten them stuck in a prison for the rest of their life, or worse -- dead.

And they'd brought back some strange man who was too large for Katara's liking. And a _criminal!_ What were they thinking? What if he decided to turn around and hand Aang in for his bounty?

She made a point of avoiding this man, and at the moment he was seated next to the newly banished Fire Prince, eating the food Katara had worked so hard to prepare for the others.

She narrowed her eyes at him momentarily before glaring at Zuko as if it were directly his fault they'd brought the criminal along.

Sokka related to them all -- again -- how Suki had scaled the walls of the prison and captured the warden of The Boiling Rock. How they'd taken them on a gondola to get out of the Volcano. How they'd battled Azula and her friend on the top of it with swords and fire and acrobats... Toph interjecting her pet names for the two -- "circus freak" and the simple "psycho-girl" -- before asking where the "knife throwing girl" was throughout.

"You mean Zuko's girlfriend." Sokka interjected in what Katara had come to know as his sly voice, passing a grin in the other teen's direction. Zuko -- much to Katara's surprise, blushed but did not retaliate.

"Wait..." She felt an unknown anger boil within her. "You're dating that pale girl?"

"Pale girl?" Zuko had a look on his face that meant he was avoiding the whole thing. He would much rather ignore the question, but found it impossible with all eyes on him.

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend Zuko." Aang leaned forward, holding his bowl of rice to his chest. Katara noticed him pass a look in her direction, and a confused one crossed her features for a moment.

"She saved us too. I guess she really likes you Zuko, to go against your crazy sister." Sokka looped his finger around his ear. "A regular ladies man..." Suki shot him a raised eyebrow.

Katara, however, had turned her gaze back on Zuko who suddenly could not meet any of their gazes. She opened her mouth to say something to him... but wasn't quite sure what.

And Toph spoke up. "It's ok jerkbender, I was under the impression she can take care of herself."

He was worried about his girlfriend? There was that burn again... and suddenly she could not look in his direction, turning her attention back to her food while her brother continued to relate how they had escaped.

She supposed she hadn't really thought of what he'd given up to come with them. To help the Avatar. She'd always just looked at it as being his duty...

To make up for him following them around the world. Stealing her mother's necklace. Tying her to a tree. Jerk. He was a complete jerk!

And after Ba Sing Sae...

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She supposed she should have said something nice about Zuko doing all those things to get Suki and her dad back... but she couldn't bring herself to do. Now she was regretting it, as her dad had asked her why she was being so rude to Zuko and she could not come up with a proper response.

_Katara seems to have a personal vendetta against Zuko, Dad. You'll get used to it._

Apparently she wasn't the only one who could pin point why she was still unforgiving of him while the others had accepted him.

Yes she did! Why was she faltering suddenly? Nobody knew what happened in Ba Sing Sae. Nobody knew she'd offered to heal his scar... offered him forgiveness.

_That's something we have in common_.

He'd tricked her. She'd forgiven him and he'd betrayed her promptly after. He'd let Azula almost destroy Aang.

How could she trust him now?

Yet she found herself standing beside him at the firepit. He had not retired for bed yet, and she couldn't help but cringe slightly at the surprised and wary look he passed her when he noticed her standing over him.

"Why did you risk your life to go with Sokka?"

He seemed surprised with the question before shrugging, turning his gaze to the fire. "Your brother wouldn't have made it on his own. I thought he needed my help... he said he needed to restore his honor... I know a bit about that."

Was it just her perception, or did she notice a shadow cross his face. Closing him off completely from her a moment.

She wondered if she should just turn and go back to bed, but her feet remained anchored to the stone below her.

She wondered why he always said "your brother" instead of Sokka when speaking to her. He said Sokka with everyone else. She felt like it was pointing out a connection... making her somehow feel a bit at ease.

Confused.

"It was stupid...both of you might not have come back."

"I know." He turned his gaze on her, and she was momentarily put off by how gold they looked in the fire. "But... we're here now aren't we? And your Dad and Suki are here."

She frowned, her arms tightening over her chest.

Protection.

She remembered the gentle smile on his face when he stepped off the balloon.

"Would you rather I didn't go?"

The question struck her as odd instantly, and she felt gooseflesh rip it's way up the back of her neck. Her heartbeat sped up.

She was glad Toph wasn't around, or the blind girl would call her out for being a liar.

"No. But Aang needs a firebending teacher, and I'll go along with whatever is good for him."

Zuko turned away, and she instantly felt like pulling back her words. Sucking them from the air where they hung heavily over them both.

"We'll defeat the Fire Lord and bring peace to the world. You can never speak to me again after that."

He stood, unfolding himself from the stone, powerful in his movements besides being so clumsy sometimes.She was the one who turned to leave. Not wanting to say another thing that could hurt him.

Tear her apart.

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AN: Well...was it any good? Critique please!


	2. Chapter 2

Due to an unfortunate episode involving exploding paste, Katara's

AN: THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS EVERYONE! This is my first Avatar fanfic, and I'm glad to see the reception is so good! I love you all!

If you want to see a specific interaction, please tell me and maybe I'll write a chapter about it!

Again, I do not own Avatar or it's characters.

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Due to an unfortunate episode involving exploding paste, Katara's clothes were now covered in a thick, greasy paste that smelt like nuts and vomit. Needless to say Teo and The Duke took off to hide somewhere in the temple when they noticed her standing in the doorway, dripping the sticky substance from her entire body, looking just about ready to kill someone.

They had used her good cooking pot too! She should have known something was up when she saw them whispering earlier near the fire pit, eyeing her cooking pot. At the time she'd thought they were just wary she was cooking them dried sea slugs again – their stomachs did not react well to them the night before.

Still fuming she'd cleaned herself off in one of the lavatories in the temple that still had running water – it had to be pumped and took a lot of effort, but she helped it along with her bending – and had walked around for a little while in her undergarments she wore when training. It was humid, and the small blasts of air coming from the canyon were nice against her bare skin.

That is until her dad found her sitting on the side of the fountain like that and told her to go in and change into something more decent.

"_Do you always walk around in your underwear, Katara?"_

"_It's hot! I can't put my clothes back on, they're stained now and still smell gross."_

He didn't seem to care. The look on his face was something she hadn't seen from him before. Disbelief mixed with something like Sokka was more known for. The face Sokka made when she got too close to a boy or something.

Overprotective.

She supposed he hadn't a chance to be this way before he left, as she was still so young.

She couldn't change into her clothes from before the Day Of Black Sun, as she'd lent them to Suki so the Kyoshi Warrior didn't have to stay in her prison clothes. So she found herself pulling on her Fire Nation clothing again.

She stood in front of the aged and cracked mirror in the room she and Toph shared (and now Suki). The glass was stained a brown colour in spots, as if burnt – maybe it was – but she could still see her foggy outline. Distorted. It made her feel odd looking into it.

_It's not as if I have much to show_, she thought wryly, narrowing her eyes at her blurry figure before tying up the shirt at the side so she could feel the cool breeze anyway.

Flat stomach, big hips – gran-gran told her they were birthing hips – small, not too exciting breasts. Even her hands were calloused and her feet a bit scaly from their travels. Her hair seemed to have a mind of it's own and her limps were like sticks. She didn't think she was much to look at.

_And really, this outfit isn't much better then the other one. _

Though she really knew that her training clothes really could be considered her under garments. Especially since she was wearing them even now underneath the reds of the Fire Nation outfit. The top binding down her breasts to make them even smaller than usual.

She fiddled with her hair a moment, wondering if she should put it into the same fashion she wore it in while in the Fire Nation, but decided against it. Her hair was already crazy wild that day anyway due to the humidity; she really didn't want to make it any worse.

She ran her fingers through it a moment before turning as Toph appeared in the doorway, just visible in the mirror. A blob of green and black.

"What _smells_ in here, sugarqueen?" Toph had her nose wrinkled up, one hand resting against the doorway. Her feet were healing quickly. She could walk just fine now, and was able to see perfectly again.

But Katara could tell it still pained the blind girl to walk for long periods.

"Do you still smell it?" Paranoid, she lifted her arm, smelling her shoulder before taking a wade of hair in her hand to sniff that.

"The whole temple smells funky! What were you doing?"

"I wasn't doing anything!" Instantly annoyed. "The boys made some stupid exploding paste thing and I got it all over me."

"Is that why your clothes are hanging outside?"

"What?"

She distinctly remembered hanging them up inside the lavatory.

Moving past Toph she stomped down the hallway and out into the opening of the Temple.

There, hanging between two pillars on some rope, were her clothes.

Standing under them was Zuko.

She hesitated for a moment, her body swaying forward slightly, though her feet remained perfectly stuck to the ground. He hadn't noticed her there yet, he was reaching a hand up to adjust her pants on the clothesline.

It immediately untied at one side and her clothes all fell to the ground in front of him.

"What are you doing?" She moved forward, adding as much bite to her voice as she could. It was her things! Why was he touching them?

He turned quickly, a little bit too quickly it seemed for he winced and brought a hand to his neck. He took a few steps backwards when she moved towards him, causing her to pause in her advance.

Was he afraid of her?

_Good. He should be_, she thought, but was unsure if she meant it.

"I was trying to hang up your clothes?" His voice was quiet, and there was a tone to his voice that made his words into a question.

"Why?" She crossed her arms over her chest, passing him a glare. Nobody was around so she didn't feel obligated to be nice to him. Although she still felt guilty. "You could have just left them where they were."

"No I couldn't." He turned to face her fully, and amazingly, much to her embarrassment, his gaze swept over his body. "Fire Nation clothes."

She faltered, looking down at herself for a moment. "Yes. We needed them for a disguise." She blistered again, angry that she was diverted from the topic at hand. "Why couldn't you leave them where I put them?"

"Because it was stinking up the whole temple. They need to be somewhere they can air out or the smell won't go away."

Right. That was…logical. It made her annoyed she hadn't thought of that at the time though.

"But you just knocked them all down."

He winced, or what appeared to be a wince. He ducked his head down quickly for a second, turning to look at her clothes all crumpled on the ground, a small blush coming to his cheeks. "I suppose I didn't tie the line tight enough."

She moved forward, taking up the untied side and marched over towards the pillar, bringing some water with her has she moved from the fountain close by. With a ball of water formed in one hand, and the string in the other, she reached up as high as she could up the pillar. It still didn't seem high enough – the clothes were sliding down the line.

And suddenly Zuko was at her back. "You're not tall enough."

"Thanks for pointing that out." Her voice sounded too snippy even to herself.

He took the rope gently from her fingers and held it up higher, turning his eyes on her when he had it at the right level.

She froze it into place, holding back freezing his arm to the pillar as well.

Arrogant…stupid…

"That will work for now." She stepped back from the carved pillar, turning her gaze on her clothes, which were gently moving in the wind now. Zuko remained standing nearby, and when he spoke she started slightly.

"You look different."

"What?" She scrunched up her nose slightly, surprised by the comment though hoping not to show it by her choice of expressions. Look disgusted.

"In those clothes I mean." She watched his face redden and he turned away. "I - They're Fire Nation. Not Water Tribe. You look different in red."

She watched him suspiciously for a moment, though he did not meet her gaze. His eyes were on her clothes hanging on the line.

Why did she feel a bit bubbly inside thinking about the fact he noticed her change of clothes?

Stupid…of course he noticed. She obviously wasn't wearing the clothes she was in the other day. He was hanging them up to air out after all.

But why had he made the choice to comment?

It was all very suspicious.

She poked him roughly in the arm. "I see what you're trying to do."

He turned to look down at her, his one eyebrow shooting up into his hair, his mouth falling up slightly. "What?"

"You're trying to get on my good side."

_Not again._

It seemed he couldn't think of anything to say to that, which made her believe it all the more.

"I'm right aren't I?" A smug smile curved the corners of her mouth up, and her eyes narrowed in his direction.

He turned to face her fully and she fought the urge to get into a fighting stance. He wouldn't dare do something to her here.

Frustration took over his face.

"Well, it would be nice if you _trusted_ me, just a little. I already told you I'm here to help! I've changed."

"Yeah well, you told me that already didn't you?"

"I didn't tell you anything befor!. You just assumed!" He shook his head before raising a hand to grip the mop of hair he'd grown. She remembered when he'd been partially bald. He looked so different then. "But that's beside the point! I already said I was sorry for that."

"_I have changed_, that's what you said! But it certainly wasn't any help to us was it?"

He made a sound of frustration and moved away from her, and she momentarily wondered why she was spouting off all these words when in reality she knew everything he was saying to be true.

"Hey Zuko, do you want to try that fire…whip…again with me." Aang had immerged from out of the temple, his gray eyes moving from Zuko – who he saw first – to Katara standing behind him, his voice taking on a tone of hesitation and confusion. She uncrossed her arms, knowing it to be a sign she was annoyed.

She'd told Aang she would try and get along with Zuko. He didn't have to know she was having a hard time with this.

"Katara, Teo and The Duke say they're sorry for blowing up your pot. They'll find a new one. I told them they could probably find one around here somewhere." His voice had taken on a cheerful tone again and he walked forward, setting his glider down on one of the broken pillars, grinning all the while.

She felt guilty for being mean to Zuko. Aang trusted him after all… so did all the others. Zuko was good with him.

He was good with all of them.

For a moment she realized she was jealous, and this stung her. Betrayed somehow…

"You go do your _Firebending_ then." Childish. She felt childish as she threw up her arms and turned to head in the opposite direction. Ignoring Aang's confused tone as he asked Zuko what was wrong with her.

She didn't hear his reply.

That night, she made sure Zuko wasn't around when she came back to take her clothes from the line.

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AN: OK, second chapter! Hope this is alright… I added some Katara bitchiness because Astormisbrewing suggested Katara have more qualms about Zuko to hold her back. Though…it's really the same thing over again. –sigh- I just wanted a chapter where Zuko sees her in her Fire Nation garbs for the first time . I don't know why…

**Reviews!**


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